Suddenly, Darcy
by magwitch
Summary: Post-Avengers. Nick Fury gives back the Tesseract to Thor, claiming that humanity is not ready for that kind of power. In exchange, Odin banishes Loki on Earth until the Bifrost regenerates itself. He is to help S.H.I.E.L.D. repair the damage he has caused. If he does not comply, he will be stripped of his immortality. Meanwhile, Darcy Lewis is in desperate need of a job.
1. Prologue

**Um, I know there are plenty of stories about these two, but I really like them together so I thought I'd try my own version :) hope it doesn't seem too cliched.**

* * *

_Prologue_

* * *

"Expelled?" she cried, surveying the paper in dismay.

It was still written there, in black and white.

"This can't be happening."

But it was. The official notification had made it clear she was not going to be allowed to finish her masters degree. Which, okay, she wasn't _that_ attached to, but it still meant a lot to her parents and probably, future employers.

The world no longer looked kindly on a crummy English BA. She needed something extra if she was going to get a job. And she did _not_ want to be a teacher. No way, no how. Her and kids were a bad idea.

It was pretty frustrating that she was being cut off from graduating right at the end.

Why had she been expelled, you ask?

Well, let's just say she'd missed a couple of assignments, failed most of the exams, skipped all the seminars and she'd yet to finish her dissertation which was due for presentation ...in a week.

When put in that perspective, her academic activity didn't look very flattering, but, she argued, her professors didn't know she'd been working with Dr. Jane Foster, Erik Selvig and S.H.I.E.L.D. on the discovery of the century, if not, the millennium. They had no idea she'd been part of a life-changing experience, I mean, it's not every day you meet Norse Gods, is it? And that has a great impact on your life, your beliefs, your faith in humanity, it shakes you up and makes you question -

Oh, all right. So she hadn't been that affected. And her life hadn't changed _that_ much.

But it still counted for something, didn't it?

Her professors would excuse her lack of involvement if they knew about Thor and Asgard.

"But they can't know," she groaned, putting her head in her hands.

She _had_ signed a non-disclosure agreement and Jane had almost sworn her to secrecy. True, she hadn't heard from either her or Erik in months, but they were very busy trying to find a gateway to Asgard. She couldn't exactly blame them.

Still, what good was it to meet a god if you couldn't even use it for school?

What if she name-dropped S.H.I.E.L.D. anyway? That might turn some heads.

As she was rummaging for a way out of her current predicament, her phone started ringing. She silenced it quickly, not in the mood for distractions.

It started ringing again, more persistently.

It was her mother.

Oh boy.

"Mom, I'm kind of busy right n-"

Her mother's shrill voice invaded her ears.

"Mom, calm down! What? I'm in my room, where do you think I am?! Yes, my flat. Yeah, mom, _Willowdale_. I'm still in Virginia, if you were wondering. No, I'm not online right now, I just got in, I was at school -"

Her eyes widened as she heard her mother's next words. She moved the phone to her other ear and grabbed the remote from her bed. She turned on the TV.

The first channel was already broadcasting it.

"Holy shit," she gasped, dropping the phone entirely.

New York was under siege. Buildings were on fire. Weird creatures were flying in the sky. General chaos everywhere. Reports were talking about the reemergence of Iron Man.

A battle was taking place. She could see the fighters.

And...was that _Thor_?!


	2. Chapter 1: I'm up for anything

**second chapter :) well, actually first, because the last one was the prologue but you know what I mean. thanks to everyone for the kind reviews. hope you enjoy this one too :)**

* * *

_Chapter 1: I'm up for anything_

* * *

The morning his brother left, a part of him left with him.

He had come to terms with the fact that they were brothers, by accident. The universe is full of accidents.

He was never truly fond of Asgard, but he missed it now with the strength of Odinsword's fire. At least it wasn't _here_.

Nick Fury tried to school his features into gravity, but it wasn't working. He looked very smug, standing on that terrace.

He _dared_ to put his hand on his shoulder.

"Second thoughts, Laufeyson?"

Loki shrugged off his hand and, eyes narrowed, tried to inspire as much dignity as possible, considering his position.

"You know very well, mortal, I had no say in this. I have nothing to change my mind about."

Nick Fury seemed to enjoy his formal attitude. He smiled.

"I suppose you didn't. More reason for you to ignore your father and screw us over."

Loki was tired of this exchange. He'd been submitted to such interviews before. He'd been living in a glass cell where anyone could come prodding.

"He's not my father."

"What's wrong, God of Mischief? You sound _blue_."

Loki curled his fingers into a tight fist. Patience. He needed to remember to be patient. In an Earthly year, maybe ten, maybe a hundred, he would squash this mortal with the rest of them.

"Now don't give me that look. No other criminal on the face of the planet has received such good treatment. You threaten all of mankind and all you get is some community service. I'd call that a bargain."

Loki wished he could strangle the man.

"I bet you're thinking, "I'm no average criminal. I'm a god". But guess what? Under my roof, you're a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. And all S.H.I.E.L.D. agents report to _me_."

Loki stared into the horizon. The skyline looked fractured by all those towers, those buildings rising up from the smog.

He hated Earth. Not only because he was trapped here for an indefinite time, but because it was ugly. To him, all of it was ugly. It lacked grace and intelligence.

He wrinkled his nose. If only he could will himself to fall into an eternal sleep like Odin was wont to do.

"You hope to get a rise out of me," he spoke, holding his hands behind him.

"I don't hope. I _know_ I'm getting a rise out of you. If I do any hoping, it's that I never lose this talent."

Loki's lips twitched.

"And yet, you are not as uncouth as you present yourself to be. You gave up the Tesseract," he replied slyly.

This was Nick Fury's weakness and Loki knew how to exploit it.

"A man like you surrendered himself to the mercy and wisdom of gods, the same gods you now pretend to govern. You have lost more precious things than your talent, mortal."

Fury chuckled, brushing off the matter, but Loki noticed the lines that appeared on his forehead.

"They told me you have a silver tongue. I have to be careful with you. Words are more dangerous than weapons."

"But you won't be giving _those_ up any time soon," Loki retorted, keeping his eyes on the massive water tank, blocking his view.

"Well, with bastards like you around, I don't suppose we will."

To Nick Fury, the word "bastard" held only an offensive, derogatory meaning. But to Loki, it meant a wealth of things, among which, uppermost was the fact that he was an impostor; he had no family, no place where he belonged, no real heritage.

He used to thrive in falsehood.

Now, he would never truly thrive again.

_Odd, I was never this defeatist_, he thought, disgusted with his own resignation.

"As I understand it, one bad move and you're stuck here forever. No more immortality," Fury continued, oblivious to Loki's turmoil. "What do you think, would you like to die with the rest of us?"

Loki rolled his eyes.

"I have already died many deaths. You mortals believe immortality eschews death. Quite the opposite."

Fury whistled in appreciation.

"You know, I don't have the luxury of fine conversation with my men. They're all a bunch of idiots. But you might serve for something."

"I do not _serve_. I create."

Fury scoffed.

"You call what you did creation?"

"There is no other name for it."

The S.H.I.E.L.D. director rolled his eyes. "On second thoughts, I'll read a book. Talking to you is pointless. You'll never learn humility."

With that, Nick Fury turned around and left Loki alone on the tenth floor balcony of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s city headquarters.

He had no qualms. The god wasn't going anywhere.

* * *

"- but, but _come on_!"

"Wow, you've really convinced me now."

Darcy sighed as she pulled back a rebellious strand of hair. She was hunched over her laptop, skimming the morning news while on the phone with her, hopefully, future employer, Jane Foster.

"I've sent you a resume and everything! I have work experience and credentials. And you know you can trust me!"

"A summer job at a video store when you were sixteen doesn't count as "work experience". Not in this field, Darcy."

"I was also a barista for five months and I worked at this copy center."

"It was your aunt's store."

"And she did me no favors. She was mean old lady. Resented my youthful looks."

"I'm sure she -"

"Look, I know I wasn't the greatest intern alive, but I'm sure I can be a _stellar_ assistant."

"And why is that?" Jane sighed, humoring her.

"Well, for one, I know your habits. So, first off, I'd keep you well-fed. You have a tendency to skip all three meals when you're up to something. Second, I'd sort out all your junk because you have a very chaotic filing system. Third, I'd - er - design a website for you! Yeah! And I'd create a blog and I'd keep it up to date cuz, you know, internet activity is very important these days, and you need to make yourself available."

Darcy could hear Jane trying to stifle her laughter.

"I swear, Jane, if you give me this chance I won't let you down."

"Darcy, I've already told you, it's not that I'm not very fond of you, I am. But I don't _need_ an assistant. I have people working under me and that's enough."

Darcy huffed, deciding she would give it one more go.

"Okay, you might think that now, because you've just started working for S.H.I.E.L.D. again, but once the honeymoon is over, you'll be glad to have me around."

"You don't need to work for me in order to make me feel glad about your presence, Darcy. You could just come visit."

"Yeah, I bet they'd love that...twenty-something airhead eating their complimentary cupcakes."

"There are no complimentary cupcakes."

"See? A service _I_ would provide."

Jane smirked. She realized she really missed the girl, despite her misguided ways.

But she had to be professional about this.

"Either way," she continued more seriously, "I find it extremely hard to believe you can't find a job anywhere else."

Darcy bit her lip. She hadn't told Jane about the MA fiasco and getting expelled. She also hadn't told Jane she'd applied for several jobs and been rejected.

The best she could hope for now was going back home to her parents' and trying to find a job at the local grocery store.

"Yeah, well, the economy is such a mess and everyone's on welfare and unemployment is at an all-times high," Darcy sputtered, typing the word "economy" into her google search.

"I'm sure it can't be all that bad. I'm sure if you applied yourself more -"

Oh, no, Jane was going into school-mistress mode again. She needed to get her back on track.

"I _want_ to apply myself, Jane. That's why I'm asking you for a job. A temporary job, until I get back on my feet. I promise, I won't be there forever."

Well, okay, she might as well, but Jane didn't have to know that.

"Darcy..."

"Think of it this way; I'll handle all those stupid little things that eat up your time. I know you hate protocol. I'll do what you don't feel like doing. And be honest, is there really nothing you'd like to pass on to someone else?"

Jane wavered.

A month ago she would have easily answered in the negative. At least, she would have said she could handle it.

Because even though she hated paperwork and protocol and bureaucracy she could gladly deal with all of those things if it meant she didn't have to face _him_.

She was part of a team of experts that had been assigned to work with Loki on a model for a smaller-scale, less powerful Tesseract, among many other demanding projects.

She couldn't very well avoid him during working hours, because she was actually interested in their research and, in the presence of several others, she felt more at ease around him.

The problem was, she had been handpicked to supervise him outside working hours.

Loki was supposed to help reconstruct cities and build new headquarters for S.H.I.E.L.D., as well as complete other smaller community errands. Although he was tracked and followed wherever he went by a small army of people that evaluated his progress, Nick Fury had insisted that agents were not enough.

A more scientifical mind was required. Someone who had already been in contact with gods, who understood them better, who had the patience to understand them.

Jane would never say she regretted meeting Thor. It was the best thing that had ever happened to her. But she hardly thought it was fair to be punished for it, by having to coexist with his brother instead.

She could not forgive the God of Mischief for being allowed to stay here.

Loki reminded her that Thor was gone and he was not. In fact, Thor would be gone for a while. She had barely managed to say goodbye to him. Now, she would have to wait for the Bifrost to regenerate. Who knew how long _that_ would last. She might die of old age. Secretly, she hoped Thor wouldn't let that much time pass, but she had no guarantees. She knew he was capable of breaking the rules for her, but she didn't want him to, because he was learning to be a fair and just ruler. Who was she to corrupt him?

On the other hand, it was simply unbearable that Loki had been left with them instead of Thor.

"Jane?" Darcy asked when the silence stretched for too long.

"Fine. I - I might have something for you."

"Yes! Victory!" Darcy squealed happily.

Jane half-smiled, imagining a wild Darcy jumping around her room, excited.

"I swear you'll never need anyone else! With me around, all your problems will disappear. I'll be hard-working and devoted and loyal and you'll love me and oh my god, Jane, thank you so much!"

Jane wondered if she was doing the right thing. She felt a twinge of guilt. After all, she was lying to the kid. Because Darcy was a kid at heart. And she was sending a kid into the lion's den.

Jane shook her head. Darcy _could_ be her assistant, she argued. Just that, she'd be doing other things on the side. And really, it was barely a job, supervising Loki. He already had dozens watching him. Jane always got bored stiff during those hours. It was merely protocol and hadn't Darcy mentioned something about protocol?

Besides, the girl really needed the job.

_And she's been around gods too_, Jane thought, smiling at the memory of her friend's antics.

"Don't thank me yet, Darcy. It's only a trial."

"I love trials. I'm up for it. I'm up for anything."

_Anything_, Jane thought. _Yeah, that sounds about right._


	3. Chapter 2: I've got a taser too

**So, finally finished chapter two:) It's a bit longer than the rest. Many thanks to _Mirage_ for the kind review and helpful suggestions (I try to be as grammatically accurate as possible and I'm not a big fan of multiple OCs either).**

**This chapter changes part of the events that happened in Thor (the movie).**

**Hope you enjoy and please tell me what you think :)**

* * *

_Chapter 2: I've got a taser too  
_

* * *

" - listen, pal, I don't think you know who you're going up against," Darcy huffed, moving her handbag from one shoulder to the other. She scrambled through its contents until she found her old, _old_ S.H.I.E.L.D. badge. That would show him.

Well, it was more of a visiting pass. But it should count for something.

The security guard lowered his dark shades and glanced at it, entirely unimpressed.

"That's a year old. And it's for school groups."

Darcy raised an eyebrow.

"You let kids visit this place?"

"We have a special wing for educational purposes," he recited, bored.

"Well, then, this grants me access to your educational wing."

The man chuckled. "Like I said, no can do, _missie_."

"_Fine_. Maybe I should talk to your supervisors then," she said, pressing her lips together in annoyance.

She made a funny sight. She had put on her best suit, but she looked like a little girl, wearing her mother's stilettos. Needless to say, she wasn't in her element.

"Be my guest," he replied, smiling. He was starting to enjoy her predicament. "They won't talk to you, however."

"You know, when this _obvious_ misunderstanding is cleared up, you'll be so sorry."

The security guard wiped his glasses on his white shirt and muttered a very amused "I'm shivering" before returning once more to his screens. He pretended to ignore her for the time being.

He hadn't turned up the glass partition yet so he was probably waiting to see how she'd react. She was the first entertaining thing that had happened all week.

"Could you at least check that list again? Maybe the data was wrong."

He stifled a smile and kept scrolling through web pages, seemingly oblivious to her presence.

"Look, all you have to do is buzz Doctor Jane Foster. She's not answering my calls, I think she's in an area with no coverage."

Nothing.

Darcy crossed her arms and started tapping her foot impatiently.

"Next chance I have of talking to Nick Fury, I'll tell him his staff can't be bothered to push a button."

The security guard tried to hold in his guffaws but her casual way of name-dropping S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most feared director made him lose his cool exterior.

"What, is he your close friend or something?"

"No, but I have other friends."

"Friends that don't answer your phone calls?"

"Friends like _Thor_," she replied triumphantly. "You know him, right? God of Thunder? Part of the Avengers Initiative? International hero and all that?"

The man glared at her and sat up in his seat.

"I know who _he_ is. We've got another one like him working for us. But hearing it on the news doesn't make you part of his inner circle."

"Oh, really? Then how about this!"

The man stared at her phone in confusion.

"What am I looking at?"

"Facebook evidence. See this pic? It was taken a year and a half ago. Look, the date is written right there."

The security guard scrunched his eyebrows and covered the screen with his hand, to protect it from the glaring rays of the sun.

"That's around the time Thor landed on Earth. And that's the God himself in a waffle house," she explained, leaning over his desk.

"This could be anyone," he said, pushing the phone away.

"No, not anyone, it's definitely him. He was the only guy in Puente Antiguo who looked like a Swedish model. Jane Foster and Erik Selvig can vouch for it."

"...they can vouch he looks like a Swedish model?"

"Look, you've got all the proof you need to let me in. I already showed you my credentials. So why not save yourself the trouble and just..." she trailed off, trying to find the right button to push under the partition.

"Hands where I can see them, Miss Lewis. I don't want to taser you," he warned, pulling up the partition halfway.

"I've got a taser too. Bet I can handle mine better. Actually, I'm _sure_ I can handle mine better. I did knock down Thor with it."

The security guard shook his head, thoroughly amused. She was something else.

"Look, kid, even if I did let you in, you'd have to go through five more gates until you arrived at the main building. And once you got there, they'd do a full body search and take all your weapons, _including_ your taser."

"...so, does that mean you'd let me in, hypothetically speaking?" she asked, hopeful.

He shook his head, giving her an apologetic look.

"Why don't you go back to school or something?"

Darcy bit her tongue. He had no idea how much she wanted to. Swallowing the bitterness, she gave him a reluctant smile. "I'll just come back later."

"Won't be any use," he quipped.

Just then, she heard a rattling behind her. Then the roar of a car engine. Several car engines. An alarm went off in the distance and it increased in volume the closer the cars got to the main gate.

The security guard heard a voice in his ear piece and quickly turned to the switch board.

"You need to go now before you get into serious trouble."

Darcy put her hands over her ears. The noise was deafening.

The gates parted slowly and a convoy of black jeeps and what looked like upgraded golf carts stormed out of the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.

She stepped back in awe.

"What's the ru-"

Her words died on her lips.

Right in the middle of that convoy she saw a very odd-looking rectangular glass contraption that was being pulled by several "upgraded" golf carts.

And there was someone inside it. He was standing up, holding on to a metal bar.

If it hadn't been for the glass, he would have looked like one of those Roman Emperors, standing proudly in a cart pulled by lions. He had the stiff square jaw, slicked back hair and lean figure to fit the profile.

The glass vibrated blue from time to time. She figured it must be from the electricity.

He looked familiar somehow, though she couldn't exactly place him.

When he drove past her she couldn't help but ogle. She'd never seen someone like him before.

He was looking straight ahead, oblivious to his surroundings, but that didn't stop her from edging closer to get a better look. She was about to pull out her phone again, because no way was she going to miss posting _this _on her blog, when the security guard suddenly pulled her shoulder roughly.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?! What are you, some kind of reporter?!"

The man in the glass case turned his head at the sound of the voice and his eyes met hers. It lasted half a second, but it was enough. Her stomach turned inside out and she dropped her phone to the ground.

A chill had taken over her body. She wrapped her hands around herself.

Even from that distance, she could tell his eyes were green. They almost glowed. And she had seen that pair of eyes glow before.

His gaze quickly returned to the front, undisturbed.

Darcy found it hard to breathe. She hadn't felt this cold and frightened since Puente Antiguo.

The convoy passed and the figure in the glass case disappeared on the horizon.

She was still shaking slightly when she bent down to recover her phone.

"You look like you've seen a ghost!" the security guard mocked, looking very smug. "Don't tell me you're not friends with his brother, too."

"What?" she asked, absent-mindedly.

"Your drinking buddy, Thor. That's his brother. The crazy one."

Darcy looked back at the now empty strip of land. She tried to regain composure, little by little.

She realized now why she'd lost herself so easily. He was a God. And not just any God.

He was Loki.

She had watched all the press conferences and the news coverage and even though she had seen what he'd done to New York City _live _on her television, to her, he was still, first and foremost, The Destroyer.

And he had tried to kill her.

The memory came to her, unbidden. The memory she had made herself forget.

* * *

_Puente Atinguo was crumbling to the ground. There would be nothing left after this monster was done with it, she understood that. He breathed fire on everything he came across. And he had the voice of a serpent._

_People were running amok, screaming for their lives._

_In the general chaos, she had lost hope of trying to find cover._

_But she wasn't despairing yet. If she could find Jane and the others, she'd be all right. After all, they had Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three on their side, all hailed from Asgard. That was the mightiest army Earth had ever seen. As long as she stood by their side, she knew she had a higher chance of survival._

_The problem was, she wasn't by their side._

_She was currently blocked in a narrow alley between two buildings. She would have been buried alive by fallen plaster and bricks, had she not managed to find shelter next to some trash bins._

_She was carrying Jane's laptop and some of her notes. She had promised Jane she wouldn't let anyone take them again._

_It was ridiculous at this point to be worrying about scientifical research, but if there was a way out of this predicament, these notes would definitely help._

_And she had to hold on to something._

_She heard shouts and explosions in the distance. Pretty soon they would reach her too. She had no idea how she'd last against that...thing, but maybe by then Thor will have taken him down._

_"Thor. I hope you're okay, dude." _

_She smiled, even as she trembled. Knowing Thor, with or without godly powers, he'd be out there, right in the middle of things, trying to save them._

_She had faith in him. _

_That is when she heard it first. A sound like broken glass cutting through skin. Then a low, melodious hiss, like the tune of a music box. _

_She turned her head, enough to see. _

_A dark, shapeless figure had appeared behind her. It looked like a mass of black clouds. _

_And these clouds parted when two long, sharp and twisted horns pierced through the dark. They shone golden like the sun. They looked monstrous. _

_"Come out of your hiding, earthling," the serpent voice spat._

_She'd heard that voice before. The Destroyer.  
_

_"Come out or I will make you," he repeated, seeing as Darcy had frozen in fear._

_She crawled out of her hiding space on her knees, holding the laptop and notes under her chin. _

_She could see a figure now, but no face. Only a pair of glowing green eyes. And the gruesome horns.  
_

_She had laid eyes on the Destroyer, but somehow, this was far more terrifying than a large, radioactive heap of metal._

_"Do you think Thor can save you now?" he asked in a mocking tone._

_Darcy clutched the objects to her chest and prayed that Sif and the Warriors Three might find her._

_"They won't help you either," he said, chuckling darkly. _

_She swallowed thickly. He could read thoughts. Better keep her mind shut for now. _

_"And neither will the work you hold so dear," he added, his horns pointing towards Jane's laptop and notes. _

_Darcy held them tighter._

_"I - I won't let you -" she began hoarsely._

_The figure laughed. _

_"You think you are precious. But you are nothing but an insect, Jane Foster."_

_Darcy blinked in shock. Of course. Her work. He thought she was Jane. _

_He had come after Jane. _

_But what could she do? If she denied it, if she revealed her true identity, she would be putting a target on her friend.  
_

_"And now you will die like an insect," he hissed. _

_The horns seemed to grow larger as he drew nearer.  
_

_"S-Stay away!" she shouted, whipping out her taser. _

_She held it in front of her like a shield. It had taken care of a God. It might take care of those horns.  
_

_The figure laughed again and the laugh sounded hollow. _

_"I - I will use it!" _

_"Give it your best shot, Jane Foster."_

* * *

She didn't remember much after that. Only that she'd fallen unconscious. She'd been told Fandral had found her first. Later, she didn't have the chance to ask him if he'd seen the horned creature with the glowing eyes. She had woken up with everyone around her, worrying over her, asking questions she couldn't yet answer.

Thor had regained Mjolnir and everything was all right now. The Destroyer had been defeated.

But she couldn't find the strength in her to tell them what had happened.

She was too relieved, too happy everything was over.

"I'm so glad you're safe, Darcy," Jane told her, pulling her in an embrace. "Thank you for saving my research."

She decided there and then to forget about it and never mention it to anyone. There was no point now that the danger was over. She wanted to cast away all bad thoughts. She had done what she had to do. And she was glad.

Sometimes she doubted it had truly happened. She thought it had been a trick of the mind.

Later, as she perused Erik's Norse Mythology, she found the horned God. And she realized it could have been both.

* * *

"Earth to Miss Lewis!"

Darcy looked over her shoulder in surprise. She was still standing in front of the security guard's post. The gates were shut now.

But a small door inside the gate was wide open. And through that door were other doors and other doors and finally, one giant glass case and beyond that, he -

"I _said_ you have permission to go through."

She blinked, as if trying to dispel a bad dream.

"Sorry?"

The man whistled in frustration.

"You're a weird one. First you threaten me if I don't let you in, now you don't even want to go inside anymore?"

Darcy was still two steps behind.

"What are you talking about?"

"I get it, kid. You won. No need to play dumb."

"I never play du-"

"Just go inside before I change my mind."

Darcy stared at the open passage.

"See, I told you you'd be sorry," she replied tongue in cheek. She was feeling like herself again.

The security guard rolled his eyes, muttering something about "young people these days".

"You got lucky Doctor Foster checked you in."

Jane. She had come through. She was always a comforting presence.

"I'd say Doctor Foster got lucky instead," she quipped, smiling as she stepped through the open door.

* * *

That security guard had been right. Just going through all those gates and security checks had taken the better part of an hour.

When she finally arrived at the central quarters - or Mother One, as they seemed to call it - she was ready to sink in a chair and never get up again.

Much to her dismay, Jane was waiting for her at "Mother Two".

So she had to trudge through another painful and intrusive check up.

They _did_ take her taser.

Luckily, Jane was waiting for her at the entrance of Mother Two, which was connected to Mother One through an elaborate tunnel-maze.

She would have never found her way out of there on her own.

That was probably the idea.

Although she felt like hugging the scientist after that tiresome ordeal, she restrained herself. It wouldn't look very professional. Plus, she wouldn't want to wrinkle the suit.

"Darcy! Hope you didn't have to wait very long! I was stuck in a meeting and I couldn't get out," she began, excusing herself. And before the girl could react, Jane had already pulled her into a hug.

Darcy relaxed. She could be herself with her. Jane hadn't changed.

"It's been so long, I almost forgot not everyone functions like me."

"S'okay, I bonded with a security guard. He probably hates you now."

"I'm sure. What on Earth are you wearing?"

"Work clothes. Couldn't show up at S.H.I.E.L.D. in my Arcade Fire T-Shirt, could I?"

"Well, you don't have to come here looking so formal. You're only supposed to look presentable in front of the management. And you're not flying under their radar yet."

_And hopefully never_, Jane thought, even though she knew she was deluding herself. Her little project would be found out. But by then, she hoped to get relocated and take Darcy with her.

"You'll have a lot of walking to do, so best avoid heels and skirts," Jane advised, guiding Darcy towards the elevators.

"Duly noted. So, think you can get me a map of this place just so I don't get lost when I come to work?"

The doors to the elevator closed shut.

"I've got something better."

Jane pulled out a badge. She pressed a small icon on its side and a virtual representation of Mother One and Mother Two appeared before her eyes.

"Wow. You guys were not kidding about the spy gadgets."

"This is yours. It has your own personal code which was comprised from your personal information. Don't share it with anyone. And I mean it, Darcy. No one."

"Got it," she said, reaching for the badge.

"Not so fast. This little thing will open most doors in both Mother One and Mother Two, but that doesn't mean you should go and explore. There will be people wondering what you're doing there. You don't want to give them the wrong idea. If anyone asks you any questions, tell them you're my assistant and you report to me and only me."

"But I _am_ your assistant, aren't I?"

Jane took a deep breath.

"Yes, but most of the work you'll be doing for me is out on the field."

Darcy felt a bit overwhelmed.

"Out on the field?"

"You said you wanted to be efficient. That's where I need efficiency most."

"Of course," she complied. "I'm just grateful you gave me this chance."

Jane surveyed her carefully. She was young. Too young. But she was also a strong young woman. She had proven that last year.

They arrived on Jane's floor. It was mostly empty, save for a few research laboratories and a very disorganized office space. Matter of fact, everything was in boxes on the floor or just abandoned in different corners.

"I share this place with Erik and two other physicists. Well, this is more of a playground. We do our real work in the Globe with the other Science Departments. Sometimes, Doctor Banner drops by to help with the subtler issues."

"Doctor Banner? As in Bruce...?" Darcy trailed off in awe.

"The same. I've never seen him get angry, though," Jane joked.

Darcy was surprised. The place could give anyone a headache. It desperately needed a less chaotic system. Or, you know, an actual system.

"Well, it's a good thing I came this early. Maybe we can still do something about that office."

"I'd appreciate it if you could save it. My interns won't move a finger. They're too busy cooking up the next Tesseract, _obviously_."

Darcy did not miss the sarcasm.

"So, let me guess, everyone has an idea about that, but no one can actually come up with anything."

Jane smiled. "I wish I could swap them with you. You've got more sense than all of them combined."

"I've only been here for five minutes. Give it another two."

Jane laughed.

"Glad to have you back."

Darcy smiled. She was fine. She'd always been fine. She only had a minor episode back there. It's not like the memory would resurface. And it's not like she'd ever have to see him that close ever again.

"Glad to be back."

Jane's smile wavered slightly. She looked as if she wanted to say something else, but at the last moment, she changed her mind.

"So, I'll let you get comfortable here. There's a kitchenette down the corridor, if you need anything. The cleaning staff is on call, so don't hesitate to ask for help. It's their job to keep this place up to standards."

And it was quite clean, underneath all that mess. It was only that the scientists working there had no regard for interior design.

"Maybe you can start with my office and work your way through. I'll come back for you in an hour."

Darcy waved her hand dismissively.

"No need to keep an eye on me. You just focus on your work. And I hope you have your own spy badge cuz you won't recognize this place once I'm done."

Jane nodded, although she seemed nervous. Darcy's confidence was usually contagious. Not this time around.

"Well, remember what I told you about working out on the field?"

"Yeah?"

"You're going out on the field."


	4. Chapter 3:You'll never be alone with him

**So, I'm finally done with chapter three! I had to rewrite this several times, by the way. Darcy and Loki finally meet. I'm curious to read your reactions.  
**

**Thanks to Alyss for the anonymous review, sorry to keep you waiting :)**

**A/N: I'd like to remind everyone Darcy's still very much not over her confrontation with Loki in Puente Antiguo. That's going to be a major point in the plot. **

**Okay, I'll leave you with the chapter now:) enjoy!**

* * *

_Chapter 3: You'll never be alone with him  
_

* * *

Darcy spent at least ten minutes playing with her new toy. The S.H.I.E.L.D. badge was one of those special Easter eggs that keeps on giving. She discovered several apps hidden inside the gadget even before she had time to study the giant, intricate map of the buildings.

The great thing about said map was that you could enlarge it to your size and actually walk through the virtual corridors to get a better grasp of where you were.

Mostly, Darcy did it for fun.

She liked to pretend she was in an elaborate video game. It was the most fun she'd had in weeks. She hadn't allowed herself too much of that since news of her expulsion from the master's program.

If Jane's ominous "you're going out on the field" had registered, she hadn't worried too much about it. She was enjoying the novelty of her job too much.

She only put the "spy badge" down when one of the staff members intruded on her.

She quickly realized she had some cabinets to file.

Guiltily, she retreated to what was supposed to be Jane's office, but which could just as well have been a highly functional storage room.

Taking off her coat jacket and slipping out of her high heels, she rolled her sleeves and got to work.

First off, she made a list of all the rubbish that needed getting rid of, i.e. files that were no longer relevant, drafts, used paper, faulty office supplies such as binders, staplers and laminators that had clearly seen better days and any other stationery that dated back to 1985.

She made an inventory of all the files and projects on hold - those that had yet to be computerized, or were _not_ going to be added to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s virtual data system for a specific reason - and placed some of them in special compact boxes labeled ESSENTIAL/NON-ESSENTIAL.

She was halfway through doing that, when at the end of the hour, Jane came back for her punctually.

Darcy was trying to apply scotch-tape to one of the boxes and failed to see her approaching.

Jane whistled in appreciation. "You don't waste any time, I see."

Darcy turned around and grinned, wiping sweat off her forehead. She was on her knees on the floor, her suit already a mess. So much for not wrinkling her best clothes.

She felt good. She hadn't worked with her hands in a while. She finally felt useful.

"Actually, I did spend ten minutes with the spy badge."

Jane smiled. "Good. I'm guessing you've familiarized yourself with its inner workings."

"Not even close, but I guess I can handle myself around here. Did you know the map is human-sized?"

Jane smiled again. "You're the only person who's still excited about that."

Darcy almost felt the urge to stick out her tongue.

"Some of us still have to use pagers for communication," she replied, referring to one of her uncles in Fairmont who owned a DIY store and made his employees use pagers only. She was lucky she hadn't had to work there for the summer. She'd take her mean aunt's copy center over DIY store any time.

"So, you've started work in my office. Brave of you."

"Well, I don't know if you're okay with my organizing system-" Darcy began, hesitating. She got up and looked around at the lists and boxes.

Jane dismissed her qualms.

"Your system seems fine. As long as it gets some of this stuff out of here. And I like the physical approach."

Darcy beamed. She felt confident that the field work Jane had mentioned before couldn't be much harder if it involved using her hands.

As if she'd read her mind, Jane continued,

"Well, you can leave this for tomorrow. I need to brief you in on the field work, anyway."

Darcy cleaned herself up a little and put her shoes back on. She no longer looked very professional or elegant, but it would do. She couldn't wait for the next day, when she would come to work in her regular garb.

The two women stepped into the elevator again.

Jane knew she could no longer prolong the inevitable. She had to be direct and straight-forward about it.

"I have a confession to make, Darcy. I wasn't entirely honest with you on the phone. I'm afraid I omitted some details about your job. I admit it was selfish at the time, but I do really wish to help you get back on your feet. I just didn't know how you'd react."

Darcy looked mildly confused.

"I know you've been around Thor, but he was different. You probably know by now we have taken his brother into custody."

Jane did not notice the change in her friend. She was staring at the elevator doors, too embarrassed to look her in the eye. If she had, she would have seen Darcy go completely white.

"Loki is...difficult, to put it lightly. He has to cooperate, he has no choice, but that doesn't mean he'll do it without being as insufferable as possible."

Jane chuckled, still oblivious to Darcy's inner turmoil.

The girl had turned towards the opposite wall, trying to hide her erratic breathing.

"I hired you because - well, for better or worse, I'm Loki's chaperone outside of S.H.I.E.L.D. and I have been for the past months. I can't go on with my work and everything else on the side with him in my schedule. I would like you to take over for me."

Darcy clenched her fists until she turned her knuckled white. She forced herself to remain calm.

She had been able to successfully bury the past for a whole year. Could she do it for - however long she needed this job?

Did she really need this job, after all? Was it worth reawakening a nightmare?

Darcy bit her lip. It _had_ been a nightmare back then.

But what could he do to her _now_? He had been defeated, hadn't he? The Avengers had ensured it. She was safe from him, had been safe for a long time.

He probably did not even remember her. Yes, of course, he didn't. She hoped he wouldn't.

"Darcy? Are you all right?"

Jane had finally noticed something was wrong.

"I see I've shocked you. I forget Loki is classified information. You probably didn't know."

Darcy almost snorted. Oh, no, she knew. _Had_ known since this morning when she had first seen him.

"I think I, uh, read something online. This stuff leaks anyways, conspiracy theories and everything," she stammered quickly, trying to get back on her normal footing.

"Well, I couldn't think of anyone I could trust with this than the person who was there with us from the beginning," Jane continued, touching Darcy's shoulder.

The girl didn't seem to notice.

"It's pretty standard work. You don't even have to talk to him all that much. You'll never be alone with him anyway. It's quite boring, actually. You only have to track his activity..."

As Jane droned on about what she was supposed to do as Loki's "chaperone", Darcy felt a slight pang of anger at her friend's inability to see what was wrong. She had already taken Darcy's silence as a yes. She hadn't even bothered to notice -

But Darcy quickly regretted thinking these things. Jane was different, she always had been. She was not the best at social interactions or empathy.

And Jane had no idea what had happened between her and Loki. Hell, she wasn't quite sure what had happened between them, either.

She couldn't blame the woman for thinking of her for this job. Had she told Jane and everyone else about her episode with him, this could have been avoided.

_You could still tell her_, a tiny voice in her head nudged her. _Just tell her what happened. She'll understand. _

"I know it's a lot to ask of you, but I've seen you interact with Thor. I've seen you with the Warriors Three. You're not impressed by the god-persona. You don't lose track of what's important. You've got a good head on your shoulders, Darcy Lewis. And I admire that."

"You...do?"

"Absolutely. A lesser person wouldn't have stood with us at Puente Antiguo."

And just like that, Darcy knew she could never tell her. She couldn't explain it. She just knew she couldn't.

_It doesn't matter now anyway. You asked for a job. She gave you one. She is counting on you.  
_

Be careful what you wish for, that was the saying.

"You're right, I'm not impressed by anything that falls from the sky," Darcy spoke in what she hoped was a cheerful voice.

Jane chuckled. "I'll try to get your taser back. I'm sure you'll feel better with it."

Darcy nodded, smiling crookedly. "I can't say the same for the god at the other end."

Jane looked relieved that Darcy had taken the news relatively well.

As for her, the young woman was still suppressing the small tremors that had wracked her body mere moments ago.

"Thank you for lending a hand, Darce. Maybe now I can get some actual work done. You're a life-saver."

_Life-saver_, Darcy mused.

Then, almost unawares, she laughed.

Jane was startled.

"I was just thinking of my ESSENTIAL/NON-ESSENTIAL boxes."

They seemed so trivial now.

* * *

The platform was long and unwelcoming. She felt the cold seep through her shoes into her skin. Darcy pulled the coat jacket around her body, trying to keep warm.

She checked the badge. The unit was moving at snail speed.

She was waiting for Loki.

He was being removed from his private wing into the transportation area of Mother Two. TRANS C-89, to be exact. She was standing on one of the low platforms, waiting, a sense of dread in the pit of her stomach.

The two guards behind her were no comfort.

Darcy pulled out Loki's schedule from Jane's file for the umpteenth time and stared at the small black figures.

He had gone out that morning when she had seen him, but he had returned quickly. Apparently, he had been needed close-by: the new wing being built not five miles from here.

Now he was departing again. This time to the New York headquarters for repairs.

And she was going with him.

Minutes ticked away slowly. She checked her badge again. The unit had stopped on the third level. She almost cherished the mad hope they'd forgotten all about her.

But no, there they went at it again.

Soon, she heard the clanks and chinks of the interior gates being opened.

He wasn't traveling in his glass-case this time around. They couldn't carry the thing all the way to New York. Not without causing a stir.

Instead, he was wearing a set of adamantium circles around his wrists and ankles. They pulsed green for now.

She had no idea what they would do to him. She didn't want to find out.

It was a good thing she had seen him earlier that morning. It made the second meeting more or less bearable.

He walked up to her, surrounded by the convoy of guards and supervisors.

Loki was just as tall, just as impressive, just as Agustin. And his eyes were just as terrible.

_He can't hurt you_, was her mantra. _He can't hurt you._

The head supervisor threw her a suspicious look and was about to open his mouth, when he seemed to recall something which had slipped his mind.

"Oh, of course, the new agent. Miss Foster informed us. Right this way then," he mumbled impatiently, walking ahead of her down the steps.

_Agent_, she wondered. _Why does he think I'm an agent?_

But there was no time. She followed quickly, the two guards behind her.

Darcy knew, without turning her head, that Loki was watching her.

He had noticed something was amiss. But he hadn't said anything.

She tried to tell herself that was a good sign.

"I suppose you received all the available data. Miss Foster briefed you on your assignments? She claims you are a natural," the head supervisor told her, without any hint of believing such a thing.

"I don't know if I got the hang of -"

"Yes, yes, well, not all that complicated. First make sure you keep the log up to date."

Jane had mentioned something like that.

"Where's that exactly?" she asked, feigning nonchalance.

The head supervisor threw her a look.

"With Laufeyson, of course."

Darcy almost doubled up.

The man surveyed her with a critical eye. "Well, this isn't a one-way street. He needs to keep his share of the log up to date, as well. You will ask to read his current progress once you are in motion. C-89, permission to exit."

Darcy felt miserable already. So much for "you don't even have to talk with him all that much".

At least she could take comfort that the second thing would still apply. _You'll never be alone with him_. And she wouldn't. Not with this small army surrounding her.

* * *

The doors of the car slammed shut.

Darcy could have sunk into the back seat and vanished forever.

She was in a car with him.

In a car.

With him.

The two guard - her personal shadow by now - were sitting on each side. There was also the driver and one of the supervisors in the front seat.

But that didn't matter.

She was sitting opposite him. She could practically stretch her arm and touch his knee. She felt trapped.

If Loki had been watching her before, he was studying her now. But it was not the look of someone who wanted to find out more about a stranger. It was the look of a scientist, dissecting an animal.

But for the glowing eyes, she recognized that look. Nothing much had changed since that day in Puente Antiguo. Maybe he looked more haggard, but his effect on her was the same. Only now it was somewhat abated by the fact that they weren't alone and she knew, _He can't hurt you_.

"You're not Jane Foster," was the first thing he said to her, his voice as cool and calm as still water.

Darcy could have laughed. She could have choked on her own laughter.

How ironic when at their last meeting he had been so certain she _was_ Jane. _Give it your best shot, Jane Foster._

"No. I'm not," she agreed, finding her voice hoarser than she'd hoped. "I'm Darcy. That is, my name is Darcy Lewis -"

"I don't care," he rasped just as calmly. "Tell me why you're not Jane Foster."

Darcy was thrown off by the rebuke.

She looked sideways at the guards. For all appearances, they seemed mute and deaf.

The supervisor up front was talking on the phone in hushed tones.

"You weren't informed..." Darcy began, informally.

He fixed her sternly with his green eyes. They weren't glacial, as she had first believed. They were empty, devoid of both warmth and coldness.

"Okay, I guess not. Well, Ja - Miss Foster couldn't come anymore. She was - er - reassigned. She had to be replaced." Darcy knew how stupid she sounded, but no one had warned her about this.

Loki remained perfectly still.

"I am still waiting. Why are you not Jane Foster?"

Darcy sighed, pulling invisible strands of hair away from her face.

"I don't know what you want me to say."

"Tell me why you are not Jane Foster," he persisted stubbornly.

Darcy felt beads of sweat fall down her forehead.

Loki, on the other hand, looked perfectly composed. It wasn't fair.

"I already told you, I'm new."

"_Nothing_ is new on Earth. You are not Jane Foster. Tell me why."

He just wouldn't relent. And she couldn't stand the proximity.

"You can read minds, can't you?" she suddenly retorted, trying to fight off the fear that was threatening to resurface.

That seemed to stir even the guards sitting next to her.

One of Loki's eyebrows visibly moved.

No one at S.H.I.E.L.D. so far had ever mentioned this to him. He was not sure how many even knew.

Seized by this sudden idea, he almost lost count of the girl. He almost missed his opportunity. For, he realized that, indirectly, she had given him permission to read her mind.

Something like a surge of energy coursed through him, awakening his senses.

Odin had made his terms clear. If he ever breached human consent, he would find himself in the worst possible torment.

Loki felt release, for the first time in months. He had been given human consent.

Without waiting for her to change her mind or realize what she had done, he attacked her mind hungrily.

He hadn't read someone's mind in so long, it was impossibly sweet.

He leaned back into his seat and shut his eyes in pleasure.

Darcy watched him, confused. She, herself, only felt a small twinge at her temples.

_Jane doesn't want to come anymore. She thinks you're insufferable,_ was the first thought he ravenously swallowed. _I don't want to do this, but I have to, for her, for - because- danger - eyes - green_

_ I really need - job - master's - parents, scared, essential/non/essential, spy badge, scared, I'm in a video game...__ Thor, but it's not the same thing.  
_

He ate so quickly that he couldn't discern one thought from another. They all came to him jumbled and incomplete. It was like the first gulp of water for a parched man. He would drink himself to death and still not satiate his thirst.

He was out of practice, that much was obvious.

Oh, but how delicious, how wonderful. He couldn't get enough of it.

And then, it all came to an abrupt halt, when she spoke again,

"Are you all right?"

His eyes snapped open. He no longer had consent. His heart shrank.

The young woman sitting before him was the water that had been taken from his lips. For a brief moment, he let himself feel. He stared at her with longing.

It unsettled her.

But he quickly straightened himself and sealed his features into imperviousness again before anyone realized anything serious had happened.

The supervisor in the front seat had turned towards him.

"Tired, Laufeyson?"

Loki shook his head.

"Meditating on something of cosmic importance?" he drawled, smirking obnoxiously.

Loki ignored him. He ignored most of them.

They were all the same bunch; stupid, close-minded, disrespectful, vulgar, arrogant. It was his punishment to bear their insults without responding.

Darcy coughed, trying to ignore the supervisor's comment.

"So Jane told me something about a log..." she trailed off, avoiding his gaze.

And that's when Loki realized he had managed to extract one or two thoughts from her head, after all.

The first one was about Jane Foster. The second...

"You're afraid of me," he stated, almost as if he were telling her about the weather.

Darcy's eyes widened.

"No, of course not, I'm not," she said, a bit too quickly, pulling at her coat jacket. Darcy thought it might be an assessment of her job performance so far. "I'm just nervous. I don't know what I'm supposed to do yet."

"Leave the girl alone, Laufeyson. No one likes having to sit that close to you," the supervisor drawled again.

Darcy was shocked at the casual, impertinent way the man kept addressing him. She could have been familiar with anyone, but him.

Loki couldn't care less. He knew the truth. She was frightened. She feared him.

No one feared him anymore.

They were disgusted by him. They loathed him. But fear had evolved into something mundane now that he was at their disposal.

And yet, this girl feared him in a primal, feral way. He could practically smell it on her.

_Why?  
_

_Why did she fear him so much?_

His mind was currently going over this riddle, when she asked him about the log again.

"They told me I have to keep it up to date," she told him, extending her hand weakly towards him.

His lips parted.

It was thrilling, being feared again.

In less than an hour, she had offered him consent and fear.

He pulled out the smooth moleskin agenda from his coat pocket and handed it over. She made sure their hands wouldn't touch. She only stared briefly at the adamantium circle.

"A notebook?" she questioned, puzzled.

"He's not allowed to use technology in his private wing," the supervisor explained, watching the agenda with curiosity.

Darcy opened it at the present date. A long string of undecipherable symbols were displayed before her.

It was then that she remembered Jane's endless instructions. They had established a communication system between them.

She pulled out the small note cards from Jane's file and sure enough, the key for the code was there. It was a strange sort of alphabet. It combined runes, numbers and some Greek letters, here and there.

Darcy noticed something odd. The same sequence of symbols kept repeating themselves for a whole page.

She looked up at him.

"Problem?" he asked, relishing her fear.

She found that his eyes were just as empty, but the corners of his mouth had moved slightly upwards.

"No," she replied evenly and seeing no other way out of this, she set to translating the gibberish.

It was painful at first. She was lucky there wasn't much to translate. She kept going through notes, checking and double-checking.

This couldn't be right.

He couldn't have written this one sentence so many times.

But the others were the same.

After a full-hour with her head in the agenda, she shut it closed and put it aside.

What could she write back to that?

It was clearly designed for Jane Foster.

What would he write for her?

Loki did not need to read her mind; he could see the mental struggle on her face.

Should she tell someone about this, or remain quiet?

She settled, for the time being, to ignore it. She would look out the tinted window and wait for them to arrive in New York. She'd decide what to do then.

The words kept flashing before her.

_Thor is never coming back for you._


	5. Chapter 4: Now's a good time

**Well, this is certainly early for me, but chapter four is done :)**

**This one goes a bit further into the Darcy/Loki dynamic and gives you a taste of their upcoming adventures.  
**

**Many thanks to all the lovely reviewers, you make writing this such a pleasure! Thanks to the anonymous reviewers RavenFollower13(nothing pathetic about it, I'm really flattered!) and KillerBunnySwagg (again, so flattered my story is considered good writing! hope the new chapter doesn't disappoint). **

**Okay, enough talking, hope you enjoy!**

* * *

_Chapter 4: Now's a good time_

* * *

Darcy had been to New York City before. Her mom and dad had taken her for her sixteenth birthday and she'd gone sightseeing (read: make out on the subway) with her first-year college boyfriend that one time they'd felt adventurous. It was either funny or ominous that they broke up one week later.

She'd never felt attached to the place, but it had been pretty tough watching the live news coverage of the city being terrorized by Loki.

It was still hard to see it now, after the big showdown with the Chitauri.

Reconstruction was well under way, but it looked much more vulnerable than before. There was a sense of uncertainty in the air. It's as if the city were standing on a powder keg, waiting to explode. And all of this thanks to the person sitting in front of her.

_See, this is the kind of stuff that should make your skin crawl. Not that one time he scared you in an alley._

It was strange; to her, Loki was boogie man, to this city, he was a terrorist. And yet, she feared him more as the former.

_Shake it off. He lost._

It didn't feel like it though. Everywhere she looked, people were treading more cautiously. If his plan had been to instill a sense of panic, job well done.

When they drove past Stark Tower, she craned her neck to see if the "A" was still standing there alone.

"You've never seen the Tower in person, have you, Lewis?" the supervisor in the front seat asked her, teasingly.

Darcy wrinkled her nose. Did the guy ever take a break from his one-man act?

"Um, no. Not up close," she offered briskly, settling back in her seat.

She snuck a peek at Loki. He was engrossed in his thoughts, head lowered, eyes blank. For all appearances, he seemed to be in a trance. Maybe he was resting. Darcy thought it best not to disturb him. She hoped he'd remain that way for as long as possible.

She still had no idea what she'd do when they arrived.

Her dad used to have a great saying about situations like these,

"Just nod your head and act like you know what they're talking about, Darce. Don't let them see you've got no clue. You'll get the hang of it, eventually."

Yup. The ol' smiling and nodding like a toddler would have to do.

She wondered what she'd tell her parents. She'd have to talk to them, sooner or later. She figured she'd have to invent a retail store or some wholesome cafe as her workplace.

It was only a summer job, of course. Because she's already graduated from her Master's. And she was looking for a job worth her degree.

Of course.

A beeping noise interrupted her train of thoughts.

They were already driving through an underground tunnel.

The supervisor was pushing some buttons. Suddenly, the roof caved in.

She almost shrieked.

A ramp had been lowered from the ceiling and the car started driving up. She held onto her seat, feeling as though she were about to take off.

No one had seemed to notice her little outburst. No one, except Loki.

He was staring at her, no longer submerged in his thoughts.

Unless her mind were playing tricks on her, he seemed to find her predicament amusing. He wasn't smiling or anything. There was no flicker of emotion in his eyes.

She just knew somehow, from the flitting shadows on his face, that he was amused.

And she was both displeased and relieved.

By now, they'd stopped climbing and the car was driving down a straight path again. White and red lights decked the walls. Christmas had come early.

"Be ready to check the adamantium levels once we step on platform N57, Agent Lewis."

Darcy was taken aback by the professional tone. Huh. So the supervisor wasn't all impolite jokes and terrible innuendos.

But she'd rather listen to all his stupid remarks, than deal with a competent person expecting competence from her as well.

She was sure Jane had mentioned something about adamantium levels, but she had been undergoing a minor heart attack at the time.

She still had time to figure it out, right?

"Three minutes to platform N-5-7," a pleasant female voice announced outside.

Crap.

Well, she had two options. Ask supervisor and confirm his suspicions that she was an utter moron, or...ask Loki.

She eyed the pulsing circles around his wrists. Would she have to check the ankles too?

More importantly, would she have to touch him?

"Welcome to platform N-5-7. Agent on Duty: Lara Devon. Report Call: 23, 78, 12. All vehicles of transportation must park under the designated signs."

Darcy felt her palms grow cold and clammy. Why did she ever think she could do this?

The car came to a screeching halt.

The two guards at her side opened the door on each side. One for her, one for Loki.

She clambered out, blinking fast, trying to absorb her new surroundings as quick as possible.

She was in an underground warehouse. There were tracks for different vehicles intersecting at different angles across the deposit area. Dozens of miniature cranes were carrying heavy packages to different halls, all entitled in white and red letters.

_Keeping in with the Christmas motif, I see._

It was a very noisy warehouse, sirens going on and off regularly and the occasional hollering of some driver echoing in the distance. Other than that, it wasn't very different from the place she'd previously left in Virginia.

The head supervisor was thankfully talking on the phone again.

She quickly pulled out Jane's file and scrambled through it at the speed of light, trying to spot the word "adamantium". No such luck.

The guards were standing next to her, waiting patiently. Loki, on the other hand, was watching her with a raised eyebrow.

"Um... it's here somewhere, the uh, thing where I check your adamantium levels. Just...give me a sec," she rambled, flipping through useless page after useless page.

"You're not really an agent, are you?" he asked coolly.

Her head snapped up.

"What did you say?"

The guards seemed just as deaf and mute as before.

"I'm guessing you're not even a grown human yet. What is their maturing age? Twenty?" he continued, in the same matter-of-fact tone.

"I'm twenty-three, actually. Turning twenty-four," she mumbled resentfully.

"I was close."

"I've been an adult for six years, if you care to know," she added, pulling her shoulders in what she hoped would be a dignified stance. She almost dropped several sheets in the process.

"Yes, it's self-evident," he replied, eyeing her from head to toe.

"Could you extend your hands?" she asked, stuffing the file back in her bag, resigned.

She saw his upper lip moving upwards.

"I could, but it would be rather pointless."

"You let me decide that," she huffed impatiently. She was running out of time.

Loki was not obligated to do as he was told. The humans' power over him extended only to his godly attributes. This did not enter that category.

But he raised his hands towards her, either way.

He was curious and amused, for the first time in several decades.

She was wrong, of course. She would get in trouble. And he wanted to watch.

He realized he had missed this.

Jane Foster was a bit too perfect in her interactions with him. She never did anything wrong. She never deviated from the strictest protocol.

This girl, on the other hand, was the definition of deviation.

Darcy bent her head down to examine his wrists without touching them. His skin looked normal, human-normal. She had expected something translucent or glowing, but it was disappointingly ordinary.

She'd also expected some numbers on those adamantium circles. Or maybe a screen. There wasn't even a line on either. They looked perfectly pristine.

But she hadn't checked the insides.

Suppressing a great sigh, she realized she'd have to touch him.

Loki was standing completely still, watching, but not giving anything away. He felt the smirk tugging at his lips, but he remained stoically neutral.

Darcy's fingers latched onto his wrists, prodding carefully.

Her skin was very warm, her palms sweaty. She was so human it almost made him nauseous.

She turned his hands upwards and brought them closer.

"What the hell are you two doing?! Holding hands on your first date?" the supervisor bellowed in her ear.

Darcy almost jumped out of her skin.

"I'm - just checking his levels. Sir," she blurted out, dropping his hands as if she'd been burnt.

"Not like that, you're not! Do you even know what you're doing?"

_No._

"Yes. I just wanted to see if - if the circles were tight enough."

_Oh, God. Why did you say that?_

The supervisor threw her a look. Loki turned his head away and snorted.

"Listen, Lewis. I may seem like a laid-back guy to you, but I take my job seriously. I suggest you start doing the same before I report you to administration."

_Oh, fu-_

"I'm sorry, Sir," she said, hoping the repetition of "Sir" would appease him. "I'm new. It won't happen again."

"Make sure it doesn't. Now, take out your Molecular Scanner and do your job before I take your badge."

_Not the badge!_ she yelped, having grown attached to her toy.

"Right away, _Sir_," she said, nodding and forcing a smile, like her father had advised.

The head supervisor grumbled something under his breath and moved away, ear glued to his phone again. He disappeared into one of the elevators.

The remaining cavalry of supervisors were just getting out of their cars.

Loki was finding it hard to stop smirking. It was completely outlandish for someone like her to be here. She was like a fish out of water.

Darcy, meanwhile, was turning her bag inside out, searching for the Molecular Scanner.

She really didn't want to go through a repeat of that with the other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

Her elbow was already inside her bag, when a small go-cart stopped in front of them and a slenderly built woman dressed in a tight-fitted combat suit stepped out.

"Agent Lewis, I presume?" she extended her hand.

Darcy was torn between continuing her search and shaking the woman's hand.

She attempted both, clumsily.

"Yes, that is correct," Darcy replied, skittishly. She was already tired of being called an agent.

"Lara Devon, Agent on Duty. Dr. Foster told me about your...situation," Lara continued, watching her dangling bag with concern.

"She told me you assisted her and Dr. Selvig on their work with Thor, the year before, at Puente Antiguo."

Darcy nodded her head, avoiding looking in Loki's general direction.

"Well then," Lara said, her eyes lighting up, "you're not a rookie, are you?"

"A rookie?" Darcy echoed, remiss.

"Dr. Foster warned me you were a beginner. But anyone who survived Puente Antiguo has some experience."

Darcy wished she'd stop talking about Puento Antiguo.

"Not really, I only stood by-"

"Surely you're being modest. I mean you interacted with extraterrestrial beings on a daily basis, didn't you? Thor and the Warriors Three?"

"Do you by any chance have a Molecular Scanner?" Darcy suddenly blurted out, taking her elbow out of the bag.

Lara raised an eyebrow.

"I - Sure, Agent Lewis. Let me just -" she turned sideways and removed a black case from her forearm pocket. Inside lay a transparent rectangular object, filled with a blue liquid that swirled with what looked like electrolytes and tiny metal robots.

_Nanobots?_

Darcy took it in her hand carefully and ogled it at it for a good minute before she decided she'd better use it for its intended purpose.

Lara Devon watched her, smiling in the way a big sister smiles when her younger siblings are being stupid.

It wasn't the mischievous, self-satisfied smirk that Loki was boasting. Or _had_ boasted. He was no longer smirking.

Something about Darcy's reaction to the words "Puente Antiguo" had made him pause.

The fear that coursed through her had increased tenfold.

Interesting. She had been there during the attack. And she was still afraid of The Destroyer. But Jane Foster and the rest had been at the mercy of The Destroyer too. Why was the girl more frightened than others? He did not recall harming her.

He mulled over this question as she finally swiped the Molecular Scanner over his adamantium circles.

"His levels are above average today, so we'll have to lower the temperature inside the Oval," Lara informed her when Darcy handed back the Scanner.

"Is there a manual for that thing? I don't want to bother you every time...agent Devon."

Lara smiled. "There's an operational manual for agents in your badge."

_Okay, well, now's a good time for earth to swallow me whole, _Darcy thought, biting her tongue in frustration.

"If you'll come this way, we can get started," she said a bit louder and the convoy of supervisors lifted their heads like young dogs sniffing a bone.

* * *

Darcy walked down the corridor at Loki's side, sensing more than seeing his now ever-present smirk.

If she'd been curious enough to ask the other agents, they would have told her they'd never seen Loki smirk or even so much as show an inkling of amusement since he had been turned over to S.H.I.E.L.D.

She didn't understand why they were watching her so closely. Every time she looked over their shoulder, she caught them staring. They were all secretly wondering if she was some sort of spy.

She did feel like a spy with the outfit she was wearing. Everyone had to change in proper attire before entering the Oval wing, including her. She pulled at the tight grey pants, feeling uncomfortable.

"You could have helped me, you know," Darcy spoke more to herself, not counting on getting a reply.

"I did tell you it would be pointless," he reminded her promptly.

"Why didn't you tell me about the Molecular Scanner?"

"It's _your_ job to know these things, _Agent_ Lewis. Or are you ready to admit you're not a grown human yet?"

Darcy wrinkled her nose. She wasn't a fan of his vocabulary. "Grown human" sounded as if she was a plant.

"If you're saying I'm a child, then no, I'm a functioning adult. I just need to read that manual," she replied sourly, pushing her glasses up her nose.

Loki shook his head. "I see Jane Foster was so desperate to get rid of me, she sent me the equivalent of a newborn."

There was resentment in his voice. Although she hadn't provided him with this much entertainment, Jane Foster had given him the opportunity to harm and damage his brother's precious lover.

This Lewis girl feared him and that was certainly new, but he did not know much about her, except that she was connected with Jane Foster. He hadn't entered her mind properly during their car ride, so he did not know how to attack her, how to use her weaknesses against her. He had no real leverage yet.

Except, maybe Puente Antiguo. And that was not very clear to him. Not clear, at all.

"That's not true," Darcy replied wanly. "If she wanted to get rid of you, she wouldn't go to all this trouble."

"_Jane doesn't want to come anymore. She thinks you're insufferable," _he replied, quoting her thoughts word for word.

Darcy's eyes widened. She was trying and failing to come up with a coherent response.

"Yes, I heard that too," Loki said, enjoying her reaction.

"I wasn't - you weren't supposed to -" she stammered.

"It's of little importance, either way," he dismissed her. "Jane Foster was as tedious as the rest of them."

Darcy clicked her mouth shut and looked away. Why should she defend herself, or Jane? He _was_ insufferable. There was no need to tiptoe around it.

"I suspect she is relieved to be free of her obligations."

"You can't blame her. It wasn't very nice what you wrote in your log." Darcy had no idea what had compelled her to say that. But it was already out, she couldn't take it back.

"_Nice_? The truth is rarely nice, Agent Lewis," he sneered.

"You don't know that's the truth."

"Jane Foster does. It's why she left."

"No -"

"By your own words."

"I said no such -"

"You intended it."

"What I intended to say was that -"

"Yes?"

"That you were just writing that to spite her."

"We come full circle, Agent Lewis. The truth is meant to spite."

Darcy groaned. "You're twisting my words."

"I am revealing your words."

"And how exactly are you doing that?"

"I've shown you I can see into your mind better than you can," he told her, hoping she'd take the bait and give him leave to search her head again. He desperately wanted another taste of her mind, _any_ mind.

He was lucky she seemed to have no idea of his current limitations.

"Then you're only seeing what you want," she replied, disappointing his hopes.

"You've met my brother, haven't you?" he asked, changing the topic abruptly.

Darcy had to mentally stumble through an answer.

" I - yeah. Yes."

"And you were there when The Destroyer attacked that town."

"You mean when _you_ attacked the town?"

"Well?"

Darcy shivered. She didn't like where this conversation was headed. She started filling her head with anything but Puente Antiguo. She wasn't taking any chances.

"You could say so," she replied vaguely.

"Hm. You did not register."

Darcy's eyes widened in relief. _He doesn't remember! He doesn't remember me!_

Loki noticed a drastic change in her mien. It's as if she had discarded a dead weight.

"_Should_ you have registered?" he asked, testingly.

Darcy tried to play it cool.

"Uh, I don't suppose the Destroyer cared about Jane and Erik's Poli-sci intern?"

Loki's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Yeah, I thought so," she added, thanking her lucky stars he'd forgotten all about her.

"What function did you serve to my brother?" he asked outright. He knew she'd be foolish enough to tell him.

Darcy frowned. "I was his _friend_."

"Gods do not have friends."

"Well, this one did. And he was much better for it too."

Loki rolled his eyes.

"There are stupid gods as there are stupid men."

Darcy would have wanted to question him more, but felt she would be pushing her luck.

The guards in front of them led them up a flight of stairs.

All she knew was that they were heading towards the Oval, where Loki was supposed to help with suturing some electromagnetic fields.

Darcy wasn't an idiot. She knew she'd be fired soon.

It had been nice of Jane to offer. Nice, but also a little reckless. It was clear to her now that what Jane considered boring and risk-free, she considered a life-altering experience. Jane was a bit odd like that.

The job wasn't that hard in reality, but she suspected people weren't interested to see how fast she'd catch up.

They were interested in results.

_Goodbye, summer job._

Well, wasn't she glad? She wouldn't have to see Loki again.

On the other hand, she'd miss the badge.

With that thought in mind, she took it out of her pocket and turned it on.

Better to savour the last minutes together.

Two sliding doors opened in front of them. She stepped in absent-mindedly, not noticing that the cavalcade of supervisors had stopped behind them.

Even the guards had vanished.

But she had come across the operational manual and she wasn't about to stop until she found the section on Molecular Scanners.

They were now climbing down into the Oval.

"Oh, here it is," she muttered to herself, tapping the chapter on technology.

If she had looked over her shoulder she would have noticed that all the agents and supervisors were watching them from an insulated glass room above.

After reaching the last exit, she had to step on a conveyor belt.

Darcy finally tore herself away from her badge. The Oval looked...well, oval. She was inside a giant egg made of wires and metal.

She was currently standing on a platform above the scaffolding that let down to the fusion room. She had no idea how she'd gotten there.

It wasn't her fault. The conveyor had retracted itself too quickly for her to notice.

"Where is everyone?"

"I usually work here alone," Loki replied evenly.

"Oh. Well, you should get to ...that and I should leave. How do I, er, get back?"

Loki threw her a look.

She froze. His eyes were glowing bright green again. His body was larger. The same blue sparks she had seen reflected in his glass casing that morning now seemed to permeate the air.

"What's happening?" she stammered.

"This is my godly form," he said, looking up towards the brightly lit ceiling. He wasn't being honest, of course. This was only half of it.

Darcy realized why she'd felt less afraid before. He hadn't been like _this_.

"Oh..." she trailed off, feeling cold beads forming under her brow. "I see. Did you have to turn it on now?"

Loki tilted his head to the side. "I don't think I've ever met someone like you before."

Had these words been uttered by anyone else, they would have seemed sweet, or at the very least, flattering.

He, on the other hand, made them sound like the most pitiful thing in the world.

She flinched inwardly.

"So what am I supposed to do now?"

Loki cast his green glow over her features. She was such an odd little thing.

"Doctor Banner sometimes sits there and watches me," he said, pointing to a small cubicle at the end of the platform.

Darcy found that smiling and nodding wasn't working anymore.

She looked around the giant egg. All exists were sealed shut and the platform they were standing on extended from one side of the Oval to the other, but there were no doors at either end.

"I guess I have no choice."

* * *

Inside the insulated room, the team was watching, half in awe, half in apprehension.

Daniel Steele, the head supervisor, burst into the room at the last minute.

"Who the hell let that kid get inside the Oval with him?!"

They all looked at him as if he'd gone mad.

"Sir. Agent Devon reported to her personally. Agent Lewis even demanded to check her Molecular Scanner. We assumed she was one of Fury's," one of the agents told Steele.

The head supervisor shut his eyes in annoyance.

"She wasn't checking it, you idiot. You know what, nevermind. Just get her out of there."

"The Oval has already been automatically sealed for the allocated time," another supervisor piped in. It was true. Whenever Loki was assigned work there, the Oval would be in lock-in mode.

"Should we apply for the emergency measures?"

Steele groaned. "No. Not worth that much bother. Why didn't you stop her?"

"We...thought she knew what she was doing," another agent replied meekly.

Daniel Steele could have laughed.

He knew one thing for sure; Doctor Foster would have hell to pay.

"Well, let's hope she doesn't end up dead," he concluded dryly.

* * *

Darcy sat down in a very uncomfortable chair and stared at the fuzzy screen in front of her.

She was afraid of pushing too many buttons, so this blurry scan would have to do.

It was very warm and stuffy inside the cubicle.

She was watching Loki work. She wasn't sure if he was working or just...being a god, whatever that meant.

Did it come easy to him, all this power?

Was it excruciatingly hard?

Thor had made it seem weirdly normal. But then again, he hadn't been much of a god when she'd met him.

She wondered how long this whole thing would take.

She was suddenly beginning to understand why Jane had said the job was boring. It wasn't so interesting watching when you didn't understand.

"Agent Lewis."

She jumped up. Loki was talking in the receiver.

"Er, yeah?"

"The temperature, was it lowered?"

"What do you mean?"

"The adamantium levels are above average. The temperature needs to be lowered."

Darcy suddenly remembered Lara Devon saying the same thing.

"Oh. What happens if it's not lowered?"

"Some of the adamantium might melt into my skin. It's highly poisonous."

"But you're a god."

She could have sworn she heard him chuckle.

"I will not die. But it will drastically impair me for a period of time."

"That's probably not what S.H.I.E.L.D. wants."

"I'm surprised you made that connection all by yourself."

Darcy huffed.

"There's no need for that."

"The problem is that the Oval might self-destruct if I am not in control of my actions in the following minutes."

"What?"

"I won't repeat myself."

_Oh shit. Oh shit shit shit. _

"But how can adamantium melt if I'm still in one piece?"

"It's not that kind of temperature."

"I don't understand."

"I don't have time to explain molecular temperature to you."

"But you're still a god," Darcy insisted, starting to panic. "Can't _you_ lower it?"

"I told you. It's not earth-bound. It's artificial. I...cannot influence it," he replied reluctantly.

"What can I do from here? Is there a switch?"

"Not inside that small place."

Darcy knew she'd hate the answer to the following question.

"Where?"

"The fifth rung on the southern wall."

Darcy looked through the glass towards the ceiling.

Safe to say, the fifth rung was tens of feet above her head.

"Oh crap. Isn't there some kind of elevator?"

"There are several, but they are operated from outside. I suspect the Oval is in lock-in, as usual. There isn't enough time, anyway."

Darcy could hear the sliver of urgency in his voice.

She began to fidget nervously.

"I can't get up there."

"No... But I can probably get you there. If you let me."

Darcy stared at the screen in shock. She couldn't see much of his face, but she knew he was dead serious.

"Get me there how?"

"I can build an anti-gravitational field around you. But you must obey my instructions to the letter."

"I don't know if I can -" Darcy began anxiously.

"This isn't about you, Agent Lewis. This is about the possible destruction of this entire facility. And while I would not be opposed to such an outcome under different circumstances, I cannot allow it at the time being." Now that Odin is watching, he meant to say. The adamantium was not a very pleasant alternative, either.

"We're going to die, aren't we?" Darcy asked, her throat dry.

"Not unless you do as I say."

Darcy felt her insides churning. She was supposed to trust _him_, the creature that had plagued her nightmares, the horned monster.

She was supposed to entrust him with her life.

It sounded like some cruel joke.

"Okay."

She took a deep breath.

"Okay. Tell me what I have to do."


End file.
